Botswana president, school band take to the skies
Botswana’s President Ian Khama rewarded a group of secondary school pupils with a flight over the capital Gaborone at the weekend.
The trip in his private aircraft was a token of appreciation for their excellent musical performance of the national anthem earlier.
Ralegonyane Junior Secondary School Marimba Group played the national anthem at the official opening of the Gaborone International Air Show on Saturday.
In a statement, the office of the president said Khama was so impressed with the performance of the school band that he decided to take them on a joy-ride over Gaborone to show his appreciation.
“His Excellency, Lieutenant-General Dr Ian Khama, this evening (Saturday) took the opportunity to fly the Ralegonyane Junior Secondary School Marimba Group, which played the national anthem at the Gaborone International Airshow, on a plane ride over Gaborone,” the president’s office said.
“The team was very happy to have flown for the first time, with the president personally piloting them.”
President Khama has a deco- rated flying history dating back to his days in the Botswana Defence Force, where he flew several mod- els and variants of fighter jets. He still regularly flies around Botswana on civilian trips. – ANA